Irish trade with Northern Ireland surged in 2021 after Brexit

Trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland surged during 2021 following the U.K’s formal departure from the European Union. 

Imports from Northern Ireland to the Irish Republic jumped 65% compared to a year earlier, while exports from the Republic to Northern Ireland rose 54%, Ireland’s Central Statistics Office said in a statement.

Meanwhile, imports to Ireland from the rest of the U.K. dropped 13% from 2020. 

Following Brexit, checks were introduced on goods traveling into Ireland and Northern Ireland from Great Britain. In response, some British-based retailers have stopped selling into the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party pulled out of the region’s power sharing government earlier this month in protest at the checks.

In contrast, Irish firms have increased trade with Northern Ireland, with goods able to move freely between the two jurisdictions. Irish exports to Great Britain rose 17% over the year.